Hanging a wooden gate (warped...?)

[salynn]

Hi,
i am about to put in 2 4x4 wooden posts so that i can hang a 3ft x 6ft wooden gate .

can anyone advise the gap needed between the posts to allow for movement etc..

Also the wooden gate, which i had made last August, i have just noticed is slightly warped at the bottom end. Not sure if this is due to natural or man-made causes ( i suspect the latter due to the construction ) It has been hand made and is heavy and solid.

Will the 'untrue' nature of the gate cause any issues when trying to hang, or is there an ok workaround? I am using medium tee hinges.

I spent not a insignificant sum having the gate made with mortice lock fitted, so really need to know before i go ahead.

Thanks

 

[i_am_fubar]

Put one post in, let it set. Hang the gate on it.

Then judge where to put the second post based on where the gate is. guaranteed way of insuring it's lined up.

 

[salynn]

yes just started to hang the gate, it is not straight and does not fit in the frame nicely. cannot nail batten on external side. when the gate is laid on flat surface one corner is raised 3cm

can anyone advise re gate, the supplier is blaming me for leaving the gate standing up and says that they will 'move' anyway.

i am not experienced but seems like the hardwood frame is very solid.

Untitled

• salynn
• 2 Jun 2010
• 1

thanks

 

[theoldun]

So when gate is shut, top is okay but bottom kicks in by 30mm.
Screw short length of 25 x50mm to bottom of post that kicks bottom of gate out from post by 40mm. Force top of gate back into correct position at top, and fix baten over posts to keep gate in this position.
Throw bucket of water over gate every two days for a fortnight and let it dry.
Take of top brace. It may have gone back, it may not, but it should have improved the whine in gate. It is worth a try.
What ever is propped against the gate is not helping.
oldun.

 

[salynn]

Hi
the gate is not yet fitted and the prop at the bottom is temporary.

yes the top is ok problem bottom right corner in the picture.

Thanks for your solution, but at this stage, i would like to establish firslty if the gate has warped or is due to bad construction ( i paid quite a lot for gate/lock because i wanted good quality ) and i thought gate frame structures were quite solid, not subject to warping. If the gate has warped your solution sounds good!

the old gate of similar construction, was 14 years old and hadn't warped at all.

the gate was constructed last august and collected in december(my fault!) i only recently finished off the fencing and realised the problem

the supplier initially said the warping was due to me leaving the gate standing but now is saying that wood moves...

i cannot see any evidence that the wood has moved but suspect that it was not 'true' to start with but cant prove at this stage.

I am tempted to use my old gate but i am left with a brand new unusable nice looking wooden gate!

Has anyone a similar experience? thanks

 

[Thermo]

new softwood gates will go out like that if not stored properly. Do as old un says

 

[theoldun]

You will find it very difficult to prove faulty workmanship to gate.
Bow or warp is caused by either how it was cut from butt, where it was cut from butt. one side shrinking more than the other, how it has been stored, and conditions it has been stored in.
When the piece of wood was cut it was cut straight, and when gate was made in all probability the piece of timber was still straight. It was after the gate was made that the bow has occurred.
The time to pick up a warp on a length of timber, gate or door is when you first buy it.
old un.

 

[Deluks]

i am not experienced but seems like the hardwood frame is very solid.

thanks

Doesn't look like hardwood, or did you mean hard wood?

Try hanging the gate as normal, fix a sliding bolt at the top and the bottom going into the post. Then you can close it, do up the first bolt, then force it in and do up the other one. And the bucket thing as mentioned. Even if it doesn't go back you can still just use the bolts to shut it properly.

 

[salynn]

the gate was left outdoors for past 6 months on sloped path.

i am not sure how i should have stored it but am beginning to accept that, in all probability, it did not come in this condition based on Thermo's comments, and will put this down to experience.

Even so, i cant quite understand how a frame ,with parts both nailed and morticed to form a solid frame, to which featherboards are nailed to form gate, can warp without there being some signs eg breakage. the wood (not hardwood) but solid/hard seems much stronger/different to the wood used in closeboard fencing.

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• salynn
• 2 Jun 2010
• 1

btw the gate has morticed lock as it will be used frequently. This is the reason for need for neat finish.

thanks everyone for comments.very much appreiciated. will do as old un says re water and keep fingers crossed the gate straightens out!

cheers

 

[Thermo]

6 months! christ they can go like that in a few days in the right conditions

 

[JohnD]

If the gateposts are tall enough, put a wooden brace or lintel across the tops to keep them vertical by supporting each other. Posts tend to move and lean otherwise, as the loading is one sided. If you can also fix the post with the hinges (where all the load is) to a wall or house or something, this will also help keep it upright.

Also, if you can, link the two lumps of concrete that the posts are set in into a single mass by casting a concrete "doorstep," preferably with a bit of steel reinforcement (unbent wire coathangers are better than nothing). This prevents the two posts moving independently in the ground.

Bear in mind though that concrete posts in the ground will eventually rot. I greatly prefer concrete posts or spurs for that reason.

 

[salynn]

Genius! Thanks guys. Old uns solution worked a treat.

seeing how troublesome gates can be(ie leaning), and JohnD suggestions re gate posts, presumably too late to try to link two posts with concrete, so might try wooden brace above gate. cheers

 

[JohnD]

you can also brace the hinge-side gatepost to the next post along. A diagonal brace from the foot of the next post is better for this than a horizontal one from the top. It does not need to be very thick as it will be in tension, but it needs a good strong bolt in a pre-drilled hole not at the very end to avoid splitting.